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Goodbye Millie

I’ve neglected this blog for way too long and it really sucks. As a result, I thought it was an appropriate time to return to my writing ventures on a topic near and dear to me.

Since I last posted, my life has been a rollercoaster. I have my dream job, met some incredible friends and had some truly awesome experiences, but I don’t want to delve into that right now.

Five days ago, I lost somebody very close to me.
That ‘somebody’ was my dog of 16 years.

It feels quite surreal. I keep expecting to walk into the living room to find her snuggled up under her Paw Patrol blanket. But, all I see is an empty, lonely space.

I remember being around seven, literally begging my parents for a dog. I wrote letters, made slideshows, and even wrote and presented numerous speeches convincing them to make my wish come true – to get a dog. It wasn’t until the Sydney Summer Olympics had finished and the fanfair around the event was coming to an end that they gave into my desperate pleas and decided that it was time to get a puppy. I am not even exaggerating when I say that it was the best news I had ever got.

We finally hopped into the car and drove to the local pet shop to pick up the newest member of our family. I knew as soon as we entered which one I wanted: the shy, little ginger one in the corner. She happened to be a Maltese Chihuahua. We named her Millie after the Sydney Olympic echidna mascot who happened to be my idol at the time. She well and truly lived up to her name!

For the next sixteen years, she was my closest companion. She was there when my Nana and Poppy died, she was there when I was sick, she was the one thing I could always count on. Everywhere we’d go, somebody would always comment on how adorable she was. And, it was true- she was one of the cutest dogs I’d ever seen (no bias, I swear!). But, she was more than that. She would do anything for us, and we would do anything for her.

For the past few days, I have been doing my best to suppress my deep, dark emotions. I no longer enjoy being home because it reminds me too much of her. But, in time that will pass. We buried her in our new home’s back garden and will soon be getting a plaque for her. She’s sheltered by a beautiful jacaranda tree and neighboured next to a blossoming flower patch. Every day I visit her, a purple flower has dropped onto her special patch, which I find comforting. I can sometimes even hear the tip-tap of her paws against the floorboards. Words can’t express how much I miss her.

I can’t go into too much more detail without getting upset so I’ll leave it there. Even though my life won’t be the same without her, I am beyond blessed to have had her around for sixteen years. She brought so much light into my life, and for that, I am eternally grateful.